Can remote teams recreate those spontaneous office moments, the quick chats and casual check-ins, without stepping into a building?
Karin Reed sits down with Lisette Sutherland, director of Collaboration Superpowers, to talk about spatial working, a fresh approach to remote work that brings a real sense of presence to virtual teams. Instead of relying on scheduled meetings, these digital office spaces create opportunities for spontaneous interactions. Teams can see who is around, drop in for quick conversations, and feel more connected throughout the day.
Lisette shares her own experience testing these tools, including Welo, and explains why they offer something that video calls and Slack messages cannot. She also digs into the biggest hurdles, why teams hesitate to try new tech, what makes adoption tricky, and how to introduce it in a way that actually sticks.
If remote work feels disconnected or overly structured, this episode offers a different way forward. Could spatial working be the key to rebuilding team culture and making virtual collaboration feel effortless?
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction to Spatial Working
01:06 Lisette Sutherland
02:08 Defining Spatial Working
03:55 Benefits of Spatial Working
06:20 Lisette’s Deep Dive into Spatial Working
09:10 Serendipity in Virtual Offices
10:12 Barriers to Adoption
13:13 Ideal Organization Size for Spatial Working
16:14 Solving Connectedness with Spatial Working
18:13 Experimenting with Spatial Working
19:04 Lack of Awareness and Future Trends
21:44 Ingredients for a Successful Launch
23:44 Making Networking Events Fun
24:34 Key Takeaways
26:01 Closing
Links https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/166-why-virtual-coworking-rocks/
Welo (a Collaboration Superpowers favorite) - https://www.welo.space
Remo - https://remo.co
Gathertown - https://www.gather.town
Kumospace - https://www.kumospace.com
Connect with Karin Reed:
Website: www.speakerdynamics.com
Speaker Dynamics University: https://university.speakerdynamics.com/
Speaker Dynamics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakerdynamics/
Karin Reed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-reed/
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